Articles
Added sugars: Don't get sabotaged by sweeteners
Why is added sugar a problem?
Recommendations regarding added sugar
Recognizing added sugar
Different names for added sugar
How to reduce added sugar in your diet
Content
A few facts about sugar
Why is sugar added to so many foods?
Why are added sugars a problem?
Recommendations regarding added sugars
Recognizing added sugars
Different names for added sugars
How to reduce added sugars in your diet
The final analysis
Recommendations regarding added sugar
The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that added sugars make up no more than 10 percent of your daily calories. For a 2,000-calorie diet, that means no more than 200 calories a day should come from added sugars.
The American Heart Association advises a stricter limit for added sugars — no more than 100 calories a day for most women and no more than 150 calories a day for most men. That's about 6 teaspoons of sugar for women and 9 for men. One teaspoon of sugar has about 16 calories.
To put this into perspective, a 12-ounce can of regular soda has about 160 calories, or about 10 teaspoons, of sugar.
Unfortunately, U.S. adults get 13 percent of their total daily calories from added sugars, which exceeds the recommendations.
